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The Weird McCain-Dictator Connection

When you have advisers who are interested in international conflict resolution, you get into one kind of trouble. When you have advisers who are lobbyists, you get into another.

John McCain has been forced to cut ties with two campaign staffers recently because of their ties to the military junta in Burma. The first, Doug Goodyear, was the man McCain had selected to run the 2008 Republican convention. Goodyear is the chief executive of DCI Group, a lobbying firm that was paid $348,000 in 2002 to improve the junta's image in America and to push the federal government to improve relations with the notorious human rights abusers. The second, Doug Davenport, was a regional campaign manager for McCain who helped found DCI Group and served as head of its lobbying practice, where he also worked for the junta.

This is a great example of (1) why lobbying is so freaking toxic, and (2) how, if you build your campaign machinery with lobbyists in dozens of key positions, you run into problems.

But the problem isn't just Dougs Goodyear and Davenport. The watchdog group Campaign Money Watch is now calling for three more McCain staffers to resign because of connections to distasteful foreign regimes:

Charlie Black, whose lobbying firm represented human rights abusers like Philipines President Ferdinand Marcos, Zaire dictator Mobuto Sese Seko, Somalia's Mohamed Siad Barre and Nigeria’s Ibrahim Babangida, as well as foreign oil interests like the Chinese government's CNOOC. Black currently serves McCain as a spokesman and senior counsel;

Tom Loeffler, whose firm has made more than $10 million since 2006 for lobbying for the Saudi Arabian monarchy and oil interests. Loeffler serves as McCain’s national finance chairman; and

Peter Madigan, a lobbyist whose firm received $800,000 to represent the United Arab Emirates in a class action suit over allegations that boys are enslaved and forced to be camel jockeys. He is also is a former lobbyist for Shell Oil. Madigan serves as a top fundraiser for McCain.

We've reported on Black, a true super-lobbyist, before. Campaign Money Watch also calls out McCain for his connections to oil and gas, which undercut his claims of good environmental stewardship.

The demand to fire the lobbyists comes as McCain gives a speech on environmental policy today. Oil and gas interests have donated $780,662 in campaign contributions to McCain’s candidate and leadership committees over his career, according to a Campaign Money Watch analysis of campaign finance data provided by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Comments

Interesting article - funny this doesn't get the same national media microscope treatment that a few crazy and ultimately less powerful pastors get. Funny, but not surprising, given the truth of things.

Posted by: Paul Miller on 05/12/08 at 3:25 PM Respond

You forgot to mention the most powerful one, AIPAC. I do not think he will have any problems in the next election as long as he has the AIPAC support. AIPAC has been electing our politicians as long as I remember.

Posted by: Jan Dod on 05/12/08 at 3:27 PM Respond

Capitalist REPUBLICANS will be Capitalist REPUBLICANS.

REPUBLICANS are CAPITALISTS --- CORPORATE CAPITALISTS.

My hope is that many of the 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATIONS will realize that they are not CAPITALISTS. The 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION do not have revenue streams flowing into their coffers for their every need, they have to work for a paycheck and need to know that REPUBLICANS are CAPITALISTS, corporate capitalists, who care nothing about the COMMON POPULATION, even though you vote REPUBLICAN and work in their campaigns.

REPUBLICANS DO NOT REPRESENT ANY MEMBER OF THE COMMON POPULATION and aren't even suppose to.

If you are a member of the COMMON POPULATION voting REPUBLICAN, you are being used as a pawn against your best interest and helping the REPUBLICAN EXTREME destroy the United States.

The DEMOCRATIC PARTY, on the other hand, ARE SUPPOSE TO REPRESENT THE COMMON POPULATION, although because of the REPUBLICAN DLC taking over the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party quit representing 70% of the COMMON POPULATION. The 20% DLC split the Democratic Party, now the DLC is the 20% RIGHT WING of the Democratic Party, which if Obama is elected President of the United States, he will be President of the Democratic Party and will be able to totally remove the DLC RIGHT WING of the Democratic Party from the Democratic Party, then the DEMOCRATIC PARTY would be back to representing the whole 90% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION and the REPUBLICAN PARTY will continue to represent the 10% CAPITALIST parasites who live off revenue streams they've taken or bought from the 90% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION as they have always done.

REPUBLICANS aren't any better than DEMOCRATS, in fact REPUBLICANS are far worse and even exploit the church and the media to fool the common population. It is time for this holier than thou REPUBLICAN FRAME of being holy and being the only political party that is Christian to end, because it's a lie. The REPUBLICAN PARTY has just as many queers and atheists as the Democratic Party percentage wise -- MAYBE MORE. Running to the Republicans is not sanctuary, exactly the opposite -- STAND UP FOR WHO YOU ARE AS A MEMBER OF THE 70% MAJORITY COMMON POPULATION and vote a Democrat in that is not a member of the REPUBLICAN'S DLC, Barack Obama.

Posted by: MarthaA on 05/12/08 at 9:58 PM Respond